This invention relates to desks, in particular desks known in the art as “trading desks,” which are used for example in the trading rooms of banks. However, trading desks can be, and are, used in other industries which have similar requirements in particular in relation to capacity for large numbers of powerful PCs and screens.
Trading desks differ from normal office desks because of the environment in which they are used; typically on the trading floors of banks. This environment calls for good use of space in order to accommodate staff as efficiently as possible and the ability to mount large numbers of computers beneath the desktop and large numbers of screens above the desktop. A typical 1500 mm wide desk would be expected to accommodate up to 7 high performance PCs and would be expected to carry upwards of 6 flat-screen monitors, typically 2-12 monitors are mounted in a trading environment. Typically such desks will be set side-by-side in rows along a room and as such the depth of the trading desk will define the number of rows that can be accommodated.
Other environments in which trading desks are used include control rooms (for example in power stations and police call centres) and the offices of visual effects providers.
A typical frame structure for a trading desk is disclosed in GB2395113. It can be seen that the prior art desk is made up of a main beam structure which provides stability, a pair of end structures comprising arms connected to the beam structure and a pair of legs depending from the arms of each of the end structures remote from the main beam structure; in use a desktop is fitted onto the end structures. This “goalpost” construction, in which the main support beam is situated roughly at the top of the legs, attached to the tops of the legs by an end structure is very useful in providing a solid and stable desk.
Furthermore, telescopic legs supporting the desktop are also often provided, so that the desktop can be raised and lowered. This has led to a structure as shown in FIGS. 1-3 in which the end frames are effectively integrated with the legs of the desk and have only small feet depending from them. The telescopic legs carrying the desktops can then be mounted in the end frames. In order to provide sufficient stability for the desk instead of a single main support beam, the main beam structure comprises a pair of parallel plinth beams spanning the top corners of the end frames, once again forming a “goalpost” construction. As FIG. 2 shows, an equipment tray for carrying power cables and the like is situated between the plinth beams and as shown in FIG. 1, doors can be provided on the end frames, to close off the area underneath the equipment trays, in which computers, on trolleys will be situated.
With desks of this sort, typically it is possible to lower a desktop to 720 mm and raise it to 1395 mm. The lower limit is defined by the height of the top of the main beam structure, which the lower surface of the desktop abuts; in turn, the height of the main beam structure is defined by the height of PCs (and the trolleys that carry them), because these are situated beneath the main beam.
However, particularly in view of recent European Standard EN527-1:2011 it is considered desirable to be able to lower the desktop further, to 650 mm. It is also desirable to provide legroom depth on the floor (and up to 120 mm above the floor) of at least 800 mm. The increase in legroom could be easily achieved by providing deeper desktops, but that would of course conflict with the desirability to keep the depth of the desks as small as possible in order to accommodate the maximum number of rows of desks.